Preventing and Managing Type 2 Diabetes in the Hispanic Community

Introduction

Health care has changed drastically throughout the years. America is now a very diverse nation, and with diversity, new issues are present in society today. One of the issues that are affecting society is the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in Hispanics. The purpose of this paper is to provide awareness of this cultural issue and ways to assist in prevention. It will be explained how knowledge is very important, and sometimes there is not enough, so it’s our responsibility to ensure that we tackle healthcare issues in society one by one. It can be done by spreading the knowledge by teaching, helping in prevention, and providing resources to different cultures.

Describe the Culture

Diabetes has been reported to occur at a higher rate in Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites of the same age, approximately 2.5 million Hispanic adults have diabetes, and this number is expected to increase as the Hispanic population expands in the United States (Campos, 2007). According to the American Diabetes Association, the Hispanic-diagnosed diabetes rate is up to 12.1 percent this year and is expected to continue to reach a higher level. The increase in Diabetes in Hispanics is related to their culture, and it has to do with their unhealthy eating habits, language barrier, socioeconomic factors, and health disparities in the healthcare system. Hispanics also lack the knowledge that they need to seek help and continue their treatment plan appropriately.

Describe a Health Need

The health needs that Hispanics have is the management of Type 2 Diabetes. According to Coffman (2012), “Hispanics with type 2 diabetes, though participants had markedly elevated glucose levels, only 50% reported symptoms, and half did not think the symptoms were serious. In another study of a similar group, 97% of participants self-treated headaches with over-the-counter medication without recognizing the headaches as a possible diabetes symptom”. The need here is education on symptoms, and resources should be available. Hispanics are not aware of what symptoms diabetes has, and when they go to a provider, their diabetes is uncontrolled and very hard to manage. The issue is that Hispanics have a really high occurrence of having low health literacy levels. Low health literacy is when someone is not able to read, understand, and construe written information related to their health. Low health literacy in individuals with diabetes has been associated with inadequate diabetes knowledge and poor glycemic control and increased diabetes-related complications (Coffman, 2012).

Complications can be avoided by spreading awareness and making sure that prevention is fulfilled in the Hispanic community. Latino adults, especially unauthorized migrants working in low-income jobs, often do not have health insurance (Coffman, 2012). That is another reason why Hispanics are more prone to having diabetes the lack of financial resources. A primary care physician is able to detect on time when a patient is prediabetic and can assist in managing diabetes. Hispanics are not able to have that option due to healthcare costs increasing and having lack of guidance. The lack of money also leads Hispanics to consume unhealthy food, and that leads to an addiction to an unhealthy lifestyle. Hispanics do not have the resources to eat healthily and also lack following a good healthy, balanced diet.

Plan to Improve Health

A plan to improve health in the Hispanic community is to spread awareness of prevention and provide resources on ways to manage Type 2 Diabetes. To make patients aware of the issue, a small presentation at community events can be made about the serious prevalence rate of diabetes in their culture. In that presentation, glucose checks and cholesterol checks can be provided to the public to make them aware of what numbers to look for in a normal range. It is also important to research important resources that are available in their community, like low-cost clinics and support groups.

Hispanics sometimes don’t seek help due to the language barriers that are present, so having a Spanish-speaking diabetes support group can be beneficial to their community. Informing and passing flyers that those resources are available can spread awareness of that resource. It will encourage Hispanics to attend support groups in their native tongue because they will be able to express their concerns. Events at Phoenix College can be held as well to teach patients how to check their blood glucose levels. (Benavides-Vaello, 2017), Claims that Hispanics can be able to manage their diabetes Approaches by interpreting body cues, foreseeing threats to control, creating cooperative relationships with health care practitioners, and garnering support from significant others.

Goals

1. To create an awareness in the Hispanic community of the importance of managing their diabetes and the importance of preventing it from avoiding future complications due to its high prevalence in their culture
2. Teach the community about prevention, resources, and treatment in order to assist the Hispanic community and increase the knowledge of participants by half.

Interventions

1. check the blood glucose of patients and inform the participant of normal blood glucose levels (informing of normal ranges helps participants be aware of what to expect)
2. check blood pressure as well (will inform patients of the importance of knowing normal blood pressure levels since diabetes can have an effect on the blood pressure level
3. initiate a questionnaire with questions that pertain to patient lifestyle choices to determine if a patient has any contributing factors that might lead to Diabetes
4. generate a list of low-cost clinics and resources of Diabetic support groups with a focus on Hispanic needs
5. A survey was generated for participants to demonstrate knowledge of complications, resources available, and actions to take.
6. Create a spreadsheet with participants’ contact information to follow up and ensure understanding of resources

Integrate Teaching

The patient will have teaching available to him/her in their desired language. The glucose check needs to be performed slowly, step by step. The participant will then demonstrate understanding by performing the test to themselves. A flyer with resources will be provided to every participant. The flyer will be explained in detail, and the importance of each resource will be explained to every participant. A small lesson on a diabetes-appropriate diet will be taught to the participant. The participant will repeat what to consume and what kinds to avoid. The important numbers to call for assistance with different types of resources will be highlighted and provided to the patient.

Outcome Evaluation

The small survey that the patient is going to have to take at the end will assist in evaluating the interventions taken. The patient should be able to identify complications and have knowledge of different resources that are available. The spreadsheet with the participant information will assist in following up with participants. It will help determine if that participant needs further assistance and individual assistance to help with the promotion of health and prevention of diabetes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Hispanics continue to have a high rate of diabetes. It is affecting their daily lives and the people around them. Their lack of knowledge, resources, and health disparities are all contributing factors to their Diabetes rate. The best way to minimize the issue is to provide awareness of the issue to their community. The problem needs to be addressed now, and more people in our society need to participate in spreading awareness to minimize the issue.

Reference Page

1. Campos, C. (2007). Addressing Cultural Barriers to the Successful Use of Insulin in Hispanics with Type 2 Diabetes. Southern Medical Journal, 100(8), 812–520.
2. Coffman, M. J., Norton, C. K., & Beene, L. (2012). DIABETES SYMPTOMS, HEALTH LITERACY, AND HEALTH CARE USE IN ADULT LATINOS WITH DIABETES RISK FACTORS. Journal Of Cultural Diversity, 19(1), 4–9.
3. Benavides-Vaello, S., Brown, S. A., & Vandermause, R. (2017). ‘Can you keep it real?’: Practical, and culturally tailored lifestyle recommendations by Mexican American women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 161-7. doi:10.1186/s12912-017-0232-4
4. Statistics about diabetes. (2018, March 22). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

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